Tons of Android smartphones and tablets now have HDMI out ports to connect to HDTVs for media playback. But it’s rather annoying to have that set up since you’re on the couch, but have to control playback from your device connected to the TV. Motorola to the rescue! They created the Motorola Smart Controller, a Bluetooth remote and handset for Android smartphones and tablets that supports the Bluetooth HID profile, not just Motorola-branded devices.

(photo credit: Motorola)

As you can see, you get the typical Android buttons — menu, home, back, and search — and a Touchpad above those buttons. The touchpad works pretty similarly to the touchscreen on your smartphone or tablet. You can use gestures like pinch-to-zoom, and use a 2-finger scroll to swipe through home screens or scroll up and down through web pages. One-finger swiping controls an on-screen cursor to select icons or click on links.

In addition to remote control of your device via the touchpad, you can use the microphone on the Smart Controller to use voice commands to send texts and e-mails, search, etc. Motorola recommends installing the free Android app Vlingo for the best performance.

(photo credit: Carrypad.com)

And finally, there is a call button on the back of the controller to allow you to take phone calls if they come in while your phone is docked to your HDTV. The Smart Controller is slightly angled, so using it as a handset will be more comfortable. To initiate calls with the Smart Controller, click on contact numbers or number links in web pages.

Now that a lot of smartphones and tablets are used for streaming media to HDTVs, remotes like the Smart Controller are pretty useful, if not a little meta. The Motorola Smart Controller is available now for $99.